Bar Harbor

The Veranda Bar is doing exactly what a well-run hotel wine program should do — approachable list, fair prices, gorgeous setting — even if it's not going to make any wine nerd's pilgrimage list. Come for the lobster and the ocean view, order the Riesling, and enjoy the fact that nothing about this experience will disappoint you.

A serious wine list wearing a guayabera shirt in a lobster-trap town — Havana earns its Wine Spectator hardware and then surprises you with picks like Mas La Plana and a Wednesday half-price night that makes the whole thing feel like a gift. Send your wine-curious friends here without hesitation.